The Worthy Heir
by lalalei
Summary: Noah Kaiba wanders into the Faerie King Dartz's forest with a goal in mind: to claim the King's unearthly power by whatever means necessary. The forest contains many dangers, and the King is a greater danger still, but the greatest threat may be the one thing Noah overlooked in his studies.


The Faerie King Dartz sat upon a gilded throne, his raiments a flowing white and blue; his crown rested on his turquoise hair and fell neatly between his gold and green eyes. He wielded a magic staff whose head was made of green stones—not emerald or jade, for they glowed strangely even in daylight, and were said to give the bearer unimaginable powers, at a cost. There was always a cost with magic, and the precious few who knew of Dartz at all knew enough to stay well out of his way; his reach, it was said, stretched far beyond the enchanted forest he resided in.

Any who challenged him outright were destroyed, and those who made bargains with Dartz were always left worse off than before. It was whispered that even those that triumphed in their dealings with him were forever bound, enslaved to the king and his whims for all eternity.

So it was a surprise to the king, as well as his servants, when one day a lone boy wandered into the forest without a trace of fear on his face. The rocks whispered to the grasses, who whispered to the trees, and from his kingdom's ever-present eyes and ears Dartz learned the boy's name was Noah. Feeling magnanimous, to an extent, Dartz watched as Noah set his eyes to the castle and began to walk.

The boy had obviously come prepared—the woods were bewitched so anyone who lost sight of his or her purpose for even a moment would wander aimlessly until they became part of the forest. Whatever his goal was, Noah kept it nestled within his heart, shut safe where not even the strongest winds could pry it from him.

The forest watched and laughed as Noah took notes on what he'd seen thus far in a thick book, adding his name to a list of others who'd claimed to venture in, before settling in for a restless sleep. By morning a pack of Nimble Momongas set upon him, not tied to any particular magic but receptive to Dartz's orders nonetheless. Noah woke at the first scratches and bites and cast the squirrels aside, but by then they'd chewed through the book, devouring its words and scattering pages to the winds. Noah seemed unworried at the loss of his knowledge, and Dartz wondered if he'd had the book merely for show as the boy continued on.

Noah walked for what felt like days, though it was minutes for Dartz. He watched as the boy rested when needed, though never in a way that would endanger him—he ate and drank only what he'd brought with him, never once touching any of the succulent fruit that hung from the branches of trees. When Noah slept he kept a ring of cold iron close by to ward away magic and glamour, preventing him from being lost on illusory paths. His steely blue eyes were ever fixated on his goal, but Dartz felt certain that pride would be Noah's downfall in the end. Now that he'd gotten through his weakest defenses, it was time to see what the boy was capable of.

The first major obstructions Dartz had set in place were his Mirror Knights. Initially appearing to be armored statues wielding mirrors, their mirrors reflected one's inner self—including the insecurities and flaws buried deep within the heart. When Noah approached, they turned as one to dazzle him with his own reflections. Noah was confronted with many versions of himself, all insufferable in their own ways. One reflection's arrogance eclipsed his own; another shared in his knowledge but lacked the drive to succeed. A third mirror-self was driven to distraction to escape what seemed to be a life of endless void and loneliness. Yet another—and Dartz felt _this_ one was the closest to Noah's true self—was obsessed with proving himself no matter the cost. Noah lingered before this mirror the longest of all, but shook himself free and pressed on without a backwards glance.

Dartz decided he'd coddled the boy long enough. Raising his staff, he summoned the lowest of his servants—though by mortal standards, even Gurimo was beyond human capabilities. He wore a necklace made from the green stones, and one of his eyes was coated in glass. Dartz spoke before he could even utter a greeting. "There is a boy, in my realm. Attend to him as you see fit."

Gurimo bowed low and left without a word, pausing only to draw his sword. It was an artifact of sorts from one of the first warriors to challenge the faerie king's rule, and its blade, now enchanted, could cleave through stone as easily as flesh. It would be a quick matter, Gurimo thought, to cut the boy in two and spare his master further annoyance.

Instead, Noah saw him coming and seemed deep in thought as he approached, backing away at the last possible moment. When the hunter pursued him, a swipe of his sword cleaving a fallen log open, Noah ran back towards the Mirror Knights. Gurimo was nearly on top of him when the boy paused in front of one of the statues, letting it turn its gaze towards him—and Gurimo.

The reflection halted him in his tracks; it showed Gurimo as he had been before entering Dartz's service, a man down on his luck and willing to do whatever it took to survive, even if it meant casting aside those that cared for him. Shaken by the vision, the hunter slowed, then stopped, and it was just enough time for Noah to wrest his sword from his hands.

Noah raised the sword and was about to strike when Gurimo began to scream—the green stones around his neck began to glow of their own accord, magic seeping into his flesh, and before Noah's eyes a pentagram burned itself into his forehead moments before his eyes dulled. Gurimo dropped lifelessly to the ground, as still as stone, and while he still breathed it was clear _something_ had been done to him for his failure. Noah recalled, with a shudder, tales of the faerie king stealing souls—but the legends were never clear on what was done to them afterward.

The sword twisted, writhed and changed into a simple tree branch, and Noah growled at the loss of a proper weapon, but kept it at his side nonetheless. From his castle, Dartz was watching, amused. To defeat even a lesser servant proved Noah had qualities that could prove useful to him, but he would have to be tested further. Some challengers had made it to the castle gates before they were struck down—a traveler named Mai was one of them; she had been courageous, and strong, but fell to the last of his generals. Dartz had felt generous enough to turn her into a Harpie and let her fly free, though her human soul remained with him. Where Noah fell in the scheme of things remained to be seen.

Dartz spread a hand wide and called for his next two servants, Alister and Valon. While physically unimposing, Alister was a wizard in more ways than one, commanding strange golems born of ironmongery and blood magic combined. With a thirst for vengeance burning in his heart, he had joined the Faerie King of his own will to wreak revenge on those that had wronged him. But whether it was a result of Dartz's magic or the clockwork beasts he constructed from his life force, his original goal was murky and lost to the forest, and Alister now lived to serve his master's will. Valon was a rough young man, impulsive but dangerous, and excelled in physical combat. He had come from a shattered home and life to serve under Dartz, filling the empty space inside him with his sense of fight. Valon wore enchanted armor that enhanced his strength and speed, covering almost his entire body except the face and one hand; anything standing in his way never stood for long.

While the two of them didn't always see eye-to-eye, they both wore the green stones and obeyed Dartz's wishes to the letter, and the Faerie King felt confident that between the two of them they would be more than a match for Noah—and if not, that was one more reason to take interest in the boy.

"You have your target," Dartz commanded. "Leave at once."

Eyeing each other suspiciously, but bowing to their king, Alister and Valon left, intercepting Noah as he was attempting to cross a bewitched lake that would make anything living that touched it part of the water. By the time he saw them coming it was too late; before the boy could so much as demand who they were one of Alister's iron beasts shoved him forward, into Valon's waiting fist. The affront to Noah's physical condition left him in a state of shock; watching him, Dartz had the feeling he wasn't used to being struck, or resisted physically at all.

"That _hurt_," Noah bit out, nursing his wound, and Valon shrugged. "Noah, is it? Name's Valon, and my comrade here is Alister. This isn't personal, but we have orders, and you'd best be prepared for a fight if you're going to make it past us."

Noah's eyes widened at the declaration, and further when he saw the cold glare in Alister's eyes. He turned to run, but Valon was quicker, his armor letting him impede Noah before he'd managed three steps. Noah braced himself for a second blow, but to his surprise, it didn't come. Valon looked annoyed, while Alister looked equally annoyed—at Valon.

"What are you waiting for," Alister snapped. "His soul was forfeit to Dartz the moment he arrived, and even you wouldn't defy our master."

"If it's over too fast it's no fun," Valon sneered. "Tell you what, boy. We'll give you a chance to hide from us—let's say fifteen minutes. When time's up, we'll go looking, and should we find you, Alister's magic wouldn't be enough to piece you back together."

Noah mulled it over, his eyes shining with anger and humiliation, but he nodded tersely. He would have to do better, he promised himself, and he carefully watched as Alister pricked his finger, droplets of blood suspending in the air to form a ticking clock. Alister then lowered his hand in nearly the same motion, commanding his golems to halt. At that the boy broke into a run, and Dartz's lieutenants watched him go, but didn't pursue. After a few minutes, a restlessly bored Valon amused himself by punching a hole through one of Alister's creations. This earned him a deathly glare, but before the wizard could properly retaliate, the timer shimmered and vanished.

Noah's fifteen minutes were up, and the two men began their pursuit with some reluctance—neither particularly wanted to work with the other, and each had the idea that _they_ would be the one to claim Noah's soul and win Dartz's favor. After a search of the surrounding areas turned up nothing, they took to the trees, around where Noah had initially fled. Alister cursed as the dense foliage slowed his clockwork golems down, while Valon found his armor's speed more of a disadvantage with all the trees impeding his way; clearly the boy had some smarts to hide from them here.

_If_ he had, indeed, hid from them here. So far there was no trace of—

A wooden arrow whipped through the trees, embedding itself in Valon's armor but not piercing through. Valon saw that it was dripping with a clear liquid—poison? Frowning, he took hold of its shaft with an armored gauntlet to inspect it. What was Noah trying to achieve? If he were poisoned, Alister's magic could certainly find a solution, at least long enough to capture the boy and claim his soul. His musings were cut off as another arrow whistled through the air; this time Valon was fast enough to catch it with his other hand.

As soon as his bare skin touched the liquid on the arrow Valon realized his mistake.

It wasn't coated in poison, but water from the enchanted lake. The arrows' wood wasn't technically alive, and Noah must have covered his hands when handling them, and as his watery hands began to succumb to gravity and the numbness spread across his arms he cursed himself for letting so simple a trick fool him. The green stones around Valon's neck were already glowing the instant he touched the water, capturing his soul just before the magic caught up with his body.

Alister stared, dismayed at his comrade's demise. Then he blazed with white-hot fury at the boy who dared to bring them down. As a third arrow sped through the air he instinctively blocked it with one of his iron beasts, and watched as the arrow's water didn't affect it at all. The wizard grinned; what worked once wouldn't work again. He waited to see if any more projectiles were forthcoming, but saw and heard nothing. After waiting a bit more, just to be sure, Alister commanded his golems to move in the direction the arrows had come from, following closely behind.

When he found Noah at last, gripping his makeshift bow tightly, Alister ordered his beasts forward. The boy seemed to be caught off-guard and wrung the bow between his hands until it snapped, grimacing as the automatons came closer to his position. When the first of the golems was within striking distance Noah held out a hand, and Alister realized why the boy hadn't run—blood dripped from a fresh wound on his palm, and as soon as it made contact with the clockwork creation it slowed, then stopped. Quickly, Noah reached out and grasped the second iron golem; it, too, came to a halt, and Noah directed them at Alister with a wave of his hand.

The mage turned to run, but didn't make it very far before his creations overtook him. They pinned him down, the closest of them striking out and barely missing his head. Before they could attack further, they grew motionless as the sigil burned brightly into Alister's forehead, giving way to his screams. The gleaming stones claimed his soul just before Alister and his creations twitched, writhed, and crumbled into dust, becoming part of the forest around them.

Noah stared at what was left of them, and quickly moved on. Though he couldn't see the castle, he knew it had to be close, and that meant he would face Dartz's last line of defense beyond the Faerie King himself. Noah pondered what, or who, he might face next, and even as he thought, Dartz wasted no time in summoning his final warrior.

The last of Dartz's generals, Rafael was also the most powerful—and the most enigmatic. A towering mountain of a man who never spoke without good reason, his eyes shone with pain and ruthlessness in equal measure, and if he set himself to a task nothing could stop him from completing it. He carried himself with precision, and it was this same precision Dartz trusted would attend to Noah. For all his strengths, Rafael knew better than to turn his sword against his king, and the green stones that gently circled his neck alongside the ever-present pentagram on his forehead served as a silent reminder.

Dartz appraised his strongest general and nodded grimly, and Rafael headed into the forest without a word.

Noah had thought he'd seen the worst with Alister and Valon, but Rafael was by far the toughest obstacle, living or not, that he'd faced so far. Everything he tried barely slowed the man down; Rafael dodged projectile weapons with practiced ease, knew better than to venture or be lured near dangerous areas, and physical combat was out of the question entirely. Noah gritted his teeth in frustration and rising panic. The others had had some weakness or other he could exploit, whether by observing them or acting on instinct. Rafael gave him nothing to work with, and something close to terror welled in Noah's heart. In due time Noah's attention turned from defeating Rafael to surviving him, then to eluding him, and then finally to escaping. And still nothing he tried worked. No matter how fast, how far or in what direction he ran, Rafael was paces behind, and gaining fast.

When Noah, exhausted, could run no more, Rafael took him by the wrist and led him through a secluded area of the forest. His grip was tight enough to bruise, and the terrain was rough and unforgiving. Rafael marched Noah inexorably to an ancient graveyard and forced him to kneel before a hole that seemed freshly dug, the earth surrounding it soft. Noah had little doubt that one of them would be buried here soon, but to his surprise Rafael stood motionless, watching the boy and not saying a word.

"Why did you bring me here," Noah finally asked, eyeing their surroundings warily.

Rafael leaned down and looked into Noah's eyes, and the boy stared back, defiant. Like everything else about the man, his gaze was unchangeable and unyielding; when Noah blinked, Rafael turned and indicated one of the many graves surrounding them. "These graves," he said lowly, "belong to my family. For a long time after they vanished I thought their deaths were an accident—a whim of fate, however cruel, and I vowed I would harden and train myself for anything that might happen. One day I learned of this forest, of the king of the faeries, and it called to me in a way I couldn't resist. I was certain that if I could face the king, claim his power, I could undo their deaths."

He punctuated his sentence by gripping Noah ever tighter; the boy bit back a yowl of pain as the hulking man continued. "I fought my way to the castle, and the king was there to face me in battle, his staff shining brightly. I came prepared, as you did. But his power and will to succeed was beyond my own."

"Why… are you telling me this," Noah gasped, trying and failing to wrench free. Rafael relaxed his grip slightly, but leaned forward slightly so the sigil on his forehead filled Noah's line of vision.

"It was only after the Faerie King was victorious that I learned the truth. He had coaxed my parents, my sister and brother, to this forest, and with the stones, he slew them all to help nurture the image of me he had in mind. Since I lost, I remain a prisoner of his magic as long as I live." Rafael shook his head in regret and indicated the stones around his neck with a free hand. One of his eyes seemed to twitch—from adrenaline, Noah supposed.

Rafael continued, seeming lost in the memories. "When we fought I saw, buried within the King's eyes, the same kind of pain I carry. I don't know what caused it… but I do know how to end it."

Noah scoffed. "I don't care what kind of pain he was in, or you for that matter. You said yourself you can't fight him, but I can. I'd appreciate it if you tell me what I need to know."

Rafael stared at him a moment before reaching to one of the forest's hanging branches, plucking a single piece of fruit from the trees. It appeared to be a cross between a grape and a strawberry, but something about it made Noah shudder instinctively, and looking at it stilled his breath.

"All I'll tell you is this. I could kill you right now, Noah; this fruit is laced with death's touch. But you've shown audacity, inventiveness and crucial ruthlessness, and I will let you pass if you promise me one thing: End him."

Though he knew better than to make _promises_ in such a place, Noah couldn't keep himself from laughing. "That's all? It's what I had planned to begin with. Deal."

A moment passed, and Rafael nodded and slowly ate of the fruit himself. His eyes glazed over almost instantly, the sigil on his forehead burned bright, and Noah knew without looking that his soul, too, had been claimed. He watched as the glimmering stones levitated Rafael's body and lowered it into the open grave. Even in death and reunited with his lost family, the man's presence lingered, and it was a long while before the boy was able to wrest himself from Rafael's lifeless gaze and move on.

Noah felt somewhat cheated that he hadn't been able to bring him down himself, but took comfort in being allowed to press onwards. He was further cheered that the promise he'd been forced into aligned neatly with all that remained—Dartz himself. When he reached the castle at last, Noah gathered himself and threw open the doors, striding into the throne room with an air that commanded attention. Dartz acknowledged him with a nod of the head and little more.

"I seek an audience with you, king of the faeries," Noah said, bowing; his respectful tone belied disdain and fear swallowed for the sake of his goals.

"By what right do you approach, mortal," Dartz asked, mainly for the sake of formality. Should Noah give an unsatisfying answer he readied himself to take his soul, or perhaps lure him to his side. An intelligent young man like that could surely be useful, especially with his generals indisposed.

"I have made my way through your forest, and past each of your men. You are all that remain."

Dartz leaned forward, his eyes piercing Noah's. "And your purpose in coming here? Any promises you might have made are null and void in my eyes—give me _your_ answer."

Noah's answer was immediate. "To claim your power in whatever way I can."

Dartz chuckled. "You're not the first to try for the throne, and you certainly won't be the last. I shall test you as I have all the others; one task yet remains to you. There is a leviathan hidden within my realm; should you find it, you will retrieve the gleaming stone it wields. If you succeed, all you seek and more shall be yours. Fail, and your soul is mine."

"If you're so powerful get it yourself," Noah muttered, and the King's eyes grew dark. He raised his staff, and as Noah brought up a hand to defend himself, crackling, sickly green energy closed around his iron ring and snapped it in twain, then moved on to disintegrate what meager supplies he had left. Dartz relished the fear on the boy's face, though Noah quickly moved to hide it.

"Mind your _tone_, Noah," the faerie king said, voice colder and more electric than his magic. "There was another boy who came here once, much like you—his name was Leon, and when he spoke out of turn once too much in trying to save his fool of a brother, well, look and see what that got him."

Dartz clicked his fingers and two stone statues appeared, of a younger and older brother reaching out for each other but never quite touching. Noah found it beautiful from an artistic standpoint, but upon inspecting them more closely he reeled back in shock—the statues' tears flowed beneath his fingers, and what should have been lifeless stone thrummed with warmth underneath. He could tell they begged for release one way or another; Noah couldn't think of many crueler fates. With another snap, the statues vanished.

"Now that you know your place," Dartz went on, his tone now cordial, "why _did_ you come all the way here? The thought of power alone wouldn't have kept you safe for long; men older, wiser, and stronger than you were lost to my forest as soon as they arrived. Give me the truth."

Noah faced him head on, unblinking and voice charged with fire. "To prove I could."

To that Dartz's eyes widened. Then he laughed. "Interesting. Regardless, your objective is twofold—find the leviathan, and retrieve its stone."

"And where might this leviathan be?" Noah asked, observing the Faerie King carefully as he pretended to think on the matter. Dartz raised a finger languidly and one of the necklaces appeared out of thin air, fastening itself around Noah's neck like a noose. It was a promise of power and a threat all at once.

With a snap of his fingers, Dartz made a gleaming map appear; it showed the entire expanse of his realm, the castle, the forest itself, and areas beyond, many of which Noah had never seen firsthand or even read about. "To begin, the leviathan lies somewhere in this general area," he sneered, indicating the entire map. "Choose the wrong location, and your soul is also forfeit. But surely _you_ could solve such a simple puzzle; you've come so far already."

Noah examined the map carefully. "How many guesses am I allowed?"

"For most, I allow three guesses. But for you, Noah, just one," the king grinned, his teeth showing when he smiled.

There was something about all this that seemed deliberately unfair, much more so than any of the other tests; even Rafael could, in theory, have been beaten. Noah was certain that if anyone had made it past this trial, no one had returned alive and free to tell the tale.

Dartz waited patiently as the boy stewed in thought, one hand gripping his staff tight and the other resting lazily at his side, and it was when he blinked once, both eyes briefly glowing green, that Noah realized.

If he was wrong, he was already dead, but Noah was certain he was correct.

"The riddle's a trick, for one reason," Noah said. "The leviathan has already been dealt with. You would never allow something so powerful to roam free, especially as king; you took its stone long ago, and anything left of it would have rotted away. In that sense, I suppose _you_ are the leviathan I seek."

For a moment Dartz stared; then he laughed. "You're the second to guess correctly," he admitted. "Rafael was the first, but where he succeeded at my guessing game, he failed at the fight. Your knowledge is impressive, Noah—but your challenge begins now."

Noah stood back and watched uneasily as the stones embedded in the Faerie King's staff began to glow, bathing the room and Dartz himself in its pallid green light. In the time it took to blink, the sigil that had bound the Faerie King's men to his will now thrummed, giant-sized, beneath their feet; when Noah attempted to move beyond the symbol's borders he cried out in pain as an arc of green electricity shot through his body.

Dartz slowly advanced on Noah, his staff crackling with magic. The boy started to back away, but there was nothing to back into—at least not without getting shocked again. Noah's mind was racing, and Dartz chuckled at the expression on his face as he continued to press on.

Noah clenched his fists and did the only thing he could think of. He charged forward in an attempt to catch the King off-guard, or at the very least push him further back. With inhuman speed, Dartz lowered the staff and knocked Noah back effortlessly; the boy groaned and clung onto the weapon, partly to keep from falling and partly to attempt to wrench it out of the Faerie King's hands. The green magic flowed down the staff to its hilt, electrifying Noah's hands until he was forced to let go; Dartz was unharmed.

"You see now your foolishness," Dartz said, condescension and boredom dripping from every word. "You're just a young boy, in body if not mind, and even men strong enough to level mountains were unable to lay a hand on me."

"And why's that," Noah bit out, though he already had a good idea why.

The King smirked. "See for yourself," he said, and the sickly green magic formed a shield around Dartz to protect him from harm. He sneered as Noah beat on it to no avail, and slowly began to slide backwards. Noah realized with dawning horror that the shield was beginning to expand and force him back into the edges of the sigil surrounding them. If he were forced out completely, he knew, he was done for.

Noah was not one used to giving up, but as his mind raced for an idea, _anything_ that he could use, he came up empty. His iron ring was gone, the supplies were gone, and they would have been of no use regardless. He had no weapon, no armor, and certainly no magic. Nothing except his own two hands and—

And the necklace, he realized, his breath briefly leaving him. Noah had wanted Dartz's power, and the stones around his neck that glimmered and pulsed like a heartbeat at the realization were conduits of that power.

It was time to learn how to use it.

Noah closed his eyes and concentrated, admittedly unsure of how the magic worked. Remembering Rafael mentioning willpower during his battle with the King, he attempted to focus his will into the green that circled his neck, then bring it outward, sharpening it into a point. His efforts were rewarded with a faint green glow that quickly became stronger, pushing against Dartz's shield. Noah opened his eyes and saw that it was only slowed in its advance, but took it as a good sign—at least until he saw that Dartz was no longer in front of him.

A blow to the side of the head staggered Noah, and through his blurring vision Dartz grinned and stepped gracefully back into place; the shield was nearly on top of Noah by now. "You'd best keep your eyes open, boy. Wouldn't want you to miss your own demise."

It was too much to hope he'd become complacent from so many years on the throne, Noah thought grimly, and focused on strengthening the power emanating from his stones. In response Dartz's staff crackled, gathering energy, and seconds later a bright green beam of magic unleashed from its tip straight at Noah. Noah threw up his hands in defense instinctively as every fiber of his being wished for the magic to stop in its tracks—and the green stones around his neck reacted instantly, conjuring up a barrier just thick enough to disperse the magic along its surface before it could reach him.

To his dismay, Dartz was still smiling, and Noah watched with trepidation as his adversary lowered the shield. Free from the pressure of being forced backwards, Noah stumbled forwards, and as he tried to steady himself he cried out as the green magic pressed down on top of him, forcing him to his knees, and then lower still. The instinctive fear of being crushed swept through his mind, and Noah concentrated hard on what had brought him here—his thirst to prove himself worthy of the power he sought. He would _not_ go out like an insect beneath stone, he vowed; in the same breath, the stones around his neck responded to his anger and will—and the magic pinning him and burying him in the ground fragmented, then shattered.

Noah stood up and glared at Dartz, his eyes dark, and he was pleased to see the Faerie King was no longer smiling. He still didn't know all Dartz was capable of, but it was time to show the ruler what _he_ was capable of. Running what had happened through his mind, Noah realized when the stones' power was at their strongest; it had been when he was angry or afraid as well as mere determination. They seemed to draw strength from his emotions, and though Noah didn't necessarily _want_ to dredge up buried grudges and festering hatred, it seemed to be the only sure way to combat Dartz's magic and defeat him.

Noah fixed his eyes on his enemy and opened his heart to his inner darkness. It was time to unleash the secret he'd nestled so deeply that even the Faerie King had not pried it loose. The magic built up slowly but inexorably, and, with a wave, Noah released it.

Dartz could sense the hidden feelings from the moment Noah turned the magic on him, and he was staggered. Though the emotions themselves were nothing new, the motives common enough he'd heard them a thousand times, the sheer _depth_ of Noah's bitterness, resentment, and desperation to prove himself bordered on manic. A heartbeat later and he knew why—Noah's father had cast him aside for others, had never loved him at all, and the boy craved acceptance nonetheless. When that had failed, as all his efforts had, he had set out for the forest, for revenge and to _make_ them acknowledge him.

The full truth of Noah's arrival overwhelmed Dartz for an instant, and in the breath before he regained composure the magic reached him. Now solid, in the shape of an emerald spear, it pierced his heart cleanly.

Dartz looked down at the wound, then at Noah, then at the wound again. A broken smile flashed across his lips before twisting into a pained grimace as he clutched at his chest, and there was a strange look in Dartz's eyes that Noah couldn't quite place.

Then his eyes glazed over, his body began to topple, and Noah knew even before his body shimmered green, then vanished before he could hit the ground, that the Faerie King Dartz was dead. All that remained of him were his crown and staff, and the green necklace he had worn for millennia. The throne he'd occupied for so long was vacant, awaiting an heir.

It was over. Noah had won.

Noah slipped on the crown and then the necklace, reveling in the spoils of his conquest. He couldn't keep himself from grinning. For all his power, Dartz had lacked _scale_. Why rule a forest, a city, when one could rule the world? Why be spoken of in whispers when the people could shout your name? He would be an open ruler, beloved by those loyal to him and feared by all else.

Perhaps, if Noah ever deigned to release him from his hold, Gozaburo Kaiba would finally be proud of his son. And if not, there would be nothing to hold over him, not with the Faerie King's power Noah had earned with his own two hands.

He strode to the empty throne and sat down, and it was only then that Noah realized something crucial, something he had overlooked in his triumph.

The stones.

The stones Dartz wore, and wielded, and used, and he himself had used in the final confrontation—but perhaps it was the other way around. He had poured so much research into the Faerie King himself, his realm, his servants, that he had neglected his tools.

Rafael's words of pain and willpower came back to him suddenly, and with a shudder, Noah realized the man had been trying to warn him, in the only way he could, of the magic that held them all—perhaps even Dartz himself—under its sway.

Ice ran up his spine. The more he thought about it logically, the more it made sense. Faerie Kings weren't made from nothing, after all. Noah belatedly recognized the look in Dartz's eyes as his soul was ripped away and his body faded to light.

He had been smiling in gratitude, his eyes shining with hope, not with hatred or frustration at being bested.

In his final moments, he had looked free.

Recognizing the danger, Noah tried to stand, to scramble away, but it was too late. The crown atop his head was already glowing, the stones around his neck joining in, and Dartz's staff floated of its own accord into his waiting hand. The green sigil that had held Dartz and all of his men captive burned into his forehead, and Noah managed a strangled gasp before the stones' magic seared into him, burning him away and remaking him anew.

When the stones' glow faded, a smirk crawled across his lips. Noah couldn't remember why he'd been so afraid. This was what he'd wanted; this was what he'd _dreamed_ of. He had power, the resources to expand that power, and the knowledge of what this magic could do.

He'd build off of what Dartz had begun, expand his reach as far as the eye could see. He would hone and craft the statue-magic, the mirrors, the power to twist reality to his whims. While Dartz had been content to manipulate and pull strings from afar, Noah would _be_ the forest, attuned to every part of his realm. He could already feel the landscape shifting to accommodate his whims, the trees spreading out and the lake expanding, doors that led to wherever he wished appearing out of thin air.

In every heart, every mind, Noah's presence would make itself known. No one and nothing would escape him, and especially not his father. His hatred shifted, giving way to possibility, as he calculated Gozaburo's potential usefulness in the new world he would build. Whatever he decided, Noah knew he could change his mind just as quickly, and wouldn't that be _fun_?

It was then that Noah realized his current stature was unimposing—very few would take a child king seriously, after all. After a moment's contemplation, Noah directed the stones' magic towards himself without a hint of fear. The magic took hold in seconds, and he watched as his limbs elongated, his features sharpened, and six feathery wings grew out of his back. The entire process was quick and completely painless; he had never felt so alive, and his new form suited his ambitions perfectly.

_Let there be light_, Noah thought, and the stones' magic illuminated the throne room and coalesced; the walls themselves shimmered with living images of his realm from every possible angle, letting him see all and command all.

Noah smiled as he surveyed his handiwork. He was in control, now and forever. The thought comforted him beyond measure, even as a small part of him, buried deep, screamed for release.

A movement at the edge of the trees caught his eye and demanded attention; Noah turned towards it and laughed. How convenient that a stocky, sharp-looking man was foolish enough to enter his forest, his realm, at the same time he needed to take measure of his newfound abilities. There were so many _ways_ he could toy with him, Noah realized, and should he prove persistent enough, there were spaces open for lesser souls in his empire. If he felt generous enough, perhaps even Gozaburo's brats would join him willingly—and, if not, he had his ways.

The thought of wielding and cementing his power drowned out any whisper of rebellion within Noah. In seconds, the notion consumed his thoughts almost completely—but there was one thought that was greater still.

The Orichalcos hungered for new souls, always hungered, and it would not do to keep them waiting for long.


End file.
